On a 2011, I'd be more concerned with the crap Mexican lifters and ABS with no safe failure mode than I would with the tensioners.

 

I purchased my 2011 Ultra classic off Craigslist 2.5 years ago. All aftermarket parts and all service were documented as dealer installed and all dealer routine maintenance. He also included all stock parts which filled my truck bed. You should be able to find one with 15k mile or under for @ $12k or less depending on the add on's .

 

Financing is easy to get without dealership--just ask around and find credit union that finances motorcycles/powersports--really not a big deal at all. Buying from an individual should be cheaper and also much easier to find out what, if anything, might be going on w/bike. You get to see it before it's had an elaborate detail job and see how the person took care of it, as well as how they take care of their other vehicles and property in general, which can be very illuminating. Also, very few private sellers will lie to your face if you outright ask them what needs to be fixed on bike or what issues it has. Warranties are often more of a pain to deal with than just paying to get something fixed, and if it's an extended warranty the cost is always figured so odds are against repair costs being higher than the warranty itself--i.e. for most people they're a rip off and really only worth considering if you're on a very strict budget and can't tolerate any risk of an unexpected expense. I suppose buying through dealer might help establish relationship if you plan to maybe have them build motor or buy lots of goodies and have installed--if they're small and/or conscientious enough to even take notice.

2011+ is a good range to look at, as cam chains/tensioners were reliable and other updates had been done since 96" motor was put out in 2007 touring, and if you want some good power I would look for a 103 and maybe just add some cams to typical stage 1 intake/exhaust/tune if you don't want to spend much and get nice bang for the buck. At the same time if you're worried about lifters can buy set of Competition Cams for about $50, or fancy AMS/Johnson Hylift/whatever they're sold as these days for around $125. The ABS is a POS deathtrap if it fails, but supposedly if fluid's been changed periodically it should be okay, and I would definitely make sure (if you're looking at one w/ABS, that is) that the recall flush service was performed and ABS is functional.

Lots of deals out there, especially this time of year, so no need to settle for something that has any issues or isn't quite what you want. Good luck

 

 

I have bought most of my bikes from the local dealer and financed them through Harley.

One I bought at a local indy dealer (it was on consignment) and financed it at the local bank.

I bought my most recent bike from an individual, financed it using the local dealer (which required having the dealer do a full inspection) using Harley financing, but got an extended service plan (warranty) from Jim Palmer at www.discountesp.com. So I kind of did it both ways at the same time on that one. It was just about the same as if I had purchased the bike from the local dealer, not really much more complicated.

 

In my fifty years of riding just about every brand of cycle I have only purchased a few new motors. The worst a Motoguzzi V7 Sport owned by a non-metric was in terrible shape but was cheap enough that I tackled the restoration. Point being I knew it was a project going in and was priced accordingly.
On my third used Harley and the latest a 2013 RK Police model has had the most mods. Nothing scary like heavy motor work but the kind of stuff you see all the time like stage 1, LED lighting etc. Never had any serious problems with any of the Harley's because they were all low miles clean bikes. My previous 2004 Police model purchased sight unseen and shipped 1800 miles to me was converted by a gent who did things his own way. The worst being he made his own extended brake line when he changed bars. It took me a while to get it back to "stock" like having a non-leaking extended hydraulic line but it ran fine. The 2013 included a transferable extended warranty so you can get peace of mind on some used bikes.
If your careful and you do your homework you can definitely find a clean low miles used Harley at an attractive price. You will want the dollars saved over dealer pricing to make it your own. That is when the fun begins.
My .02 YMMV

 

I bought a new Harley from a dealership back in 2000, only brand new bike I've owned.

Latest bike is a 2014 that I bought in 2015. Bike was bone stock with around 10K miles, and was flawless. Still had a factory warranty which I used to have the comp replaced.

Paid cash and saved about $7,000 over a new dealer bike.

 

Found a '12 Limited, 8k miles on Craigslist out of state that was financed through Harley. Husband passed away and wife just wanted payoff. Went through local dealer for $300 (they handled everything), but had to finance through HD then paid it off immediately. Nice to not have to worry about the title work and had access to HD extended warranty.

 

from what ive seen most dealers dont check em at all they just roll em right onto the floor.